Disclaimer: I do not own Kaleido Star nor any of it's original characters. The only characters that belong to me are the one's I have added in myself.

Author's note: In this story, and the others that I have titled Kaleido Star: Rising Stars, when Fool is onstage, everyone can see him, and he grows to normal human size. When he's offstage, he's his usual very small size, and only those truly chosen for the stage can see him. When onstage, he absolutely cannot reveal to those who cannot see him when he is off of it that he is the Spirit of the Stage, or….something will happen. My other story, The Amazing Stage of the Fool, may be able to provide a better explanation of this, as it is the story where I initially gave Fool the ability to perform onstage as a normal person. And in this story, Leon is also able to see the Fool when he's offstage.

Kaleido Star: Rising Stars

Chapter 1: The Amazing Ten Year Old

Hello. My name is Fool. I am the Spirit of the Stage. Only those chosen for the stage can see me. Those who are destined to some day become true stars. My purpose is to give advice to and instruct those who can see me. Currently Sora Naegino, Rosetta Passel, and Leon Oswald can see me. This means I have a duty to assist them when I see that they need assistance. Recently I've had the chance to join them on the Kaleido Stage. And only when I'm onstage do I appear as a normal person that everyone can see. When I'm not onstage, it's only those chosen few.

A new era has begun for the Kaleido Stage. The Era of Light. How long will it last? That remains to be seen. I have no plans of getting in the way of those who can see me, so I don't plan on doing any big performances. It is not my duty to become a Kaleido Star. Although, I cannot say truthfully that I do not enjoy performing. I do enjoy it. That's enough about me for the moment I suppose.

Hello Everyone! You may have thought that this was all over, but I'm back again! Kaleido Star is about to start! Make sure your room is brightly lit and that you can read this print without much difficulty.

My name is Sora Naegino. I came here to the U.S. from Japan some time back. I've gone through so much since coming here, and there's only more to come! I thought pulling off the Angel's Maneuver made me a Kaleido Star, but could it be that there's more to it than that? And what will happen at Kaleido Stage now that its spirit is performing with us? Does this mean that we have good things coming our way? You'll have to keep reading to find out!

"Sora! Sora wake up! Kalos wants to see you!" Sora opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock. It was four a.m. The person who was banging on her door and screaming was Ken. He had blond hair and the bluest eyes Sora had ever seen. His imaged popped into her mind as she realized who it was.

"What?" She asked, sitting up.

"HURRY UP! Kalos really wants to see you in his office!"

"Oh fine," Sora said, getting out of bed. She moved toward her laundry hamper to grab some cloths. Why would Boss call me out so early? A new show? Early rehearsals? She ran into the bathroom to change out of her pajamas. When she came out she was surprised to see a tiny man with green flowing hair floating in the air outside the door. A mask resembling a playing card covered the right side of his face. "FOOL!"

"What?" He asked.

"You scared me! Don't do that!"

"Well you woke me!" He said. As he said that Sora came to a sudden realization.

"YOU WERE SLEEPING IN MY BED?!!! WITH ME?!!"

"Well….," He began, looking back at the bed. "Um…" Sora's hand curled into a fist and she punched Fool so hard that he flew back and hit the wall.

"Stay out of my bed," She told him as she left her room to go to Kalos's office.

When she entered Kalos was waiting. The room was dark. The only light came from the lamp on Kalos's desk. He stared needles at her, and she wondered if she had done something wrong. "I'm here boss."

"Sora," He began as she walked up to his desk. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Yes?" She asked.

"Well, it also has to do with the early morning timing. We have a new arrival coming to the Kaleido Stage. Her name is Karai Ran. She's coming from Japan. I want you to show her around. Then I want you and that new guy…..what was his name?"

"Fool?" Sora asked.

"Yes, him. Sora, doesn't he go by anything else?"

"I don't think so," Sora replied. "He likes being called Fool."

"Well, alright then. Anyways, I needed someone with experience in the matter to explain how things work and how things are gonna work to Karai. And then you and Fool need to go and see Mia. She's going to show you the script for our next show. Now get going. Oh yes, you have to escort Karai here from the airport."

"Yes Boss," Sora said, yawning as she left the room. She was curious about their new recruit. Especially since she came from Japan as well. The only thing that made her unhappy was having to wake up so early in the morning. The question is, how am I getting to the airport? I don't have a car. Well, I could walk. Oh! But what if I get there late and Karai thinks I'm not coming! Well, maybe I can ask Mr. Policeman for a ride….

"SORA! COME HERE!" Mr. Policeman said, embracing Sora in a bear hug. "What brings you down to the police station at four thirty in the morning Sora?"

"Well sir, if you're not to busy, could you give me a ride to the airport?"

"For you Sora? Sure! It's been kinda boring around here anyways." He called to someone as they left. "Hey Harv! Radio me if something comes up!"

"Will do sir!"

They quickly hopped in Mr. Policeman's squad care and were soon on their way to the airport. "So Sora, why do you want to go to the airport? You tryin' to run away or something?" A look of worry had crossed his face.

"Oh no, no!" Sora said quickly. "It's nothing like that. There's a new person joining us at the Kaleido Stage, and the Boss wants me to meet her at the airport."

"Oh," He said, calming down. "Okay then." Because it was so early, Sora almost fell asleep on the ride to the airport. Usually she enjoyed talking with Mr. Policeman, but it was just too early. She didn't even notice when they had arrived at the airport. "SORA! Open your eyes! We're here!" Slowly she lifted her head. She had laid her head on her arm, not intending to go to sleep. She had just wanted to rest her eyes. Evidently she had dozed off after all.

"Oh, thank you Mr. Policeman," She said, hugging him and jumping out of the car the moment it stopped. Okay, now how am I gonna find Karai? She looked through the crowd of people exiting the airport. Could she be waiting inside? Sora ran towards the main building when she felt a tug on her shirt. She turned. A young girl with bright green eyes and black hair was staring up at her. She was wearing a bright red shirt with matching pants and black shoes.

"Are you Sora Naegino?" She asked.

"Yes," Sora answered. Figuring that this girl had probably seen one of her shows. "I don't have time for autographs now though, little girl. I have to find someone." With that, she ran off through the crowed. The girl just stood there. When Sora was gone, she pulled a picture out of her pocket. It was one of Sora, and it had her name written in the corner of it.

"That was her alright," The girl said to herself. She then followed Sora through the crowd of people.

When Sora inside the building, she looked around for the new performer. She cried out asking if Karai was present, but no one answered. Suddenly, Sora felt the tugging on her pants again. She turned to see the same little girl standing there behind her. "Listen little girl, I have to…."

"I'm not a little girl," The girl snapped. "I'm ten years old, and I've come to perform at Kaleido Stage!"

Sora's mouth dropped open as she stared at the girl in complete disbelief. "You're Karai Ran?" The girl nodded.

"Yup! I'm Karai! I've been looking for you Sora! Let's get to the stage already!" Sora couldn't believe it. Kalos had said that Sora herself was on the short side. This girl however, looked way too small to be on the Kaleido Stage. Sora didn't say anything about it though. She knew that she'd be in trouble if she questioned the bosses orders or actions.

Sora led Karai back to Mr. Policeman's car, and he drove them to Kaleido Stage, all the way talking about how Sora was going to have some new competition due to Karai's arrival. He was only joking to rise the child's spirits though, and Sora knew that. What she could not for the life of her figure out was why Kalos was going to let a child on stage. She'd have to be pretty talented to start doing shows at the age of ten. Although, Marion was younger than that and she performed. That was different though. Her mother was a performer as well. Sora was fairly sure that this girl had no such family background.

When they arrived back at the stage, Sora thanked Mr. Policeman once more for giving them a ride. Then she decided to show Karai around as she was instructed to do. The tour went off without a hitch. Sora walked Karai around and showed her where everything was. Along the way she explained certain things, and Karai nodded as if she understood perfectly. As soon as Sora had finished giving Karai her tour, she decided to take the girl by Kalos's office. She didn't know what else she could do with Karai at the moment.

When they got to the office, Kalos was turned in his chair, staring out the window. The sky was a bright blue. It was already eight a.m. "What took you so long?"

"What?" Sora asked.

"It shouldn't have taken you that long to give her a simple tour. Come on Sora. About three and a half hours?"

"It's a big place," Sora said in her defense.

"I expected better," Kalos said, turning to them. "Now then. Sora, I want Karai to room with you. Take her to your room. She's free for the rest of the day while she gets settled in. Tomorrow she will begin attending practices with you. She won't star in this particular show, but I want her to go and watch you and the others. After you take Karai to your room I want you and Fool to meet with Mia. Then go to the stage and rehearse your parts."

"The stage?" Sora asked. They never usually practiced on stage.

"Yes," Kalos answered. "And if Karai wants to come with you, let her. For now, go check out that new script."

"Yes Boss!" Sora said, leaving the room with Karai following.

The ten year old yawned as she followed Sora. "Can I take a nap when we get there?"

"Sure," Sora answered. "I have to get to practice anyway."

"Whatever," Karai said, rubbing her eyes. "I don't really care." When they arrived at Sora's room, Sora was the first to enter. She instantly began searching for Fool. She would have called for him, but feared that Karai may think her crazy for calling out to someone she couldn't see. Karai, however, had gotten out of her sight at the moment. Sora was about to call for her when….

"COOL!" Karai called suddenly. "A TOY!" Sora could hear a crash coming from where her bed was, and the sound of an agonizing scream of pain. "DIE TOY! DIE!" Sora rushed to the bedroom to find Karai jumping up and down on top of Fool. "DIE TOY! DIE!"

"Stop that!" Sora cried, picking up Karai and setting her on the bed. Then she grabbed Fool off the floor. "You can't do that to him! He's a member of Kaleido Stage!"

"No, it's a stupid toy!" Karai said, almost laughing. "You have some imagination Sora. Now give it back!"

"No!" Sora said, walking toward the door. "I'm going to go and practice now. I want you to stay here. You can watch TV, eat, sleep, do whatever you want."

"Got it," Karai said, taking her shoes off and laying down on Sora's bed. "Hey Sora, is there some reason you left that toy here on your bed? You don't sleep with it, do you?" As Sora exited the room she glared at Fool.

"You were in my bed AGAIN?!"

"Well it's softer than the ground," Fool pointed out. Sora let him go and he floated in the air beside her. "But if that Demon Child is going to be staying with you I think I'll sleep outside in a tree from now on."

"Kalos wants her to stay with me," Sora said. "I don't know how long it'll be for. You should be careful around her."

Fool's eyes suddenly widened. "She can see me."

"Yeah," Sora said. "I thought we'd established that."

"No, if she can see me Sora, that means she's meant for the stage. Meant to become a star."

"NO WAY!" Sora cried. "That little girl? A Kaleido Star? Well, I guess it could happen. Not for a while though, right?"

At those words a small crystal ball appeared in front of Fool. He gazed into it, and a star constellation shaped like a scorpion appeared. "Scorpio. The heart seems pure but the mind is out to get you. Karai may seem like an ordinary girl, but her skills…..may even be far greater than your own. Scorpio seeks not to sting Sagittarius just yet, but has another target in mind…."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked suspiciously as Fool's crystal ball disappeared. "Karai's out to get someone?"

"Perhaps," Fool answered. "It seems to me that she wants to prove herself to and surpass someone. Someone other than you, Sora."

"Should I be worried?"

Fool started to pull out his Tarot Cards, but Sora grabbed him first. "I don't want you to tell me some stupid fortune. Just give me your opinion."

When Sora released him he shrugged. "How should I know? Anyways, where is it we're going?"

"We gotta to see Mia and get her to show us the script for our new show. You have a part in it too."

"Then I'll be at the stage," Fool said. "Have her meet us there." He then floated away, leaving Sora to walk alone to Mia's room. Karai's out to get someone… Sora thought as she neared the room. But who?

When Fool arrived at the stage, he floated over to the center of it and landed on the ground. When he touched the stage he grew to the size of a normal human. There didn't appear to be anyone else there, but something was off. There was an odd feeling in the air. It made Fool nervous. He never had to really worry about getting nervous, and he never really did anything in the past to warrant it, well, before he became the stage spirit.

He looked around. No one. And then, a sudden feeling of malevolence. A presence in the room that could not be seen, nor heard, or felt by a normal human. Fool automatically pulled out his Tarot cards, this time to do a reading for himself. He tossed the cards into the air and they flew in a circle around him. When he stopped them, he grabbed the card in front of him. The others disappeared. He drew the Upside Down Wheel of Fortune. He cringed. This isn't good at all….

"Hello!" Fool jumped at the sound. Then he turned to see the young girl who had stomped on him earlier standing behind him.

"Hello," He said, turning to her. She stared up at him with her emerald eyes. It was odd to have someone looking up at him for a change. Usually for someone to notice him he'd have to float in front of their face if they could see him. If not, he was risking getting stepped on, hit in the head with a random falling object, or sucked into someone's vacuum cleaner.

"Hi," He said. The sudden feeling of an evil presence had departed the moment the child yelled at him. It was odd. Although it did mean that something was wrong. He shouldn't feel that there was an evil presence around the stage. He had the strong urge to leave the stage and warn Sora, but with Karai standing behind him he wondered if that would be a good idea.

"So Sora was telling me the truth. You are a member of Kaleido Stage," She said. "How do you get so small like that?"

He stepped off the stage and returned to his normal size. Then he bowed to her. "I am the Spirit of the Stage. If you can see me as I am now, that means you are meant to perform on and do great things on the stage. My name is Fool." At the mention of his name the girl's eyes widened, but only for a moment. Then she smiled.

"COOL! Oh, sorry for stomping on you earlier. You know, I hate toys. I kinda mistook you for a toy. So, can I see you perform?"

"You're not at all skeptical about this?" Fool asked, floating back over to Karai. "You don't question me being a spirit or anything?"

"Nope," Karai said, crossing her arms. "But if you're with Kaleido Stage I wanna see what you can do. So, get on with it. Do something."

"I have to wait for Sora," Fool said. "After her friend Mia shows us the script for the new show we can begin practicing."

"Sora Naegino," Karai said, taking the picture out of her pocket. "The one who performed the Angel's Maneuver. Heh. I can do that. I bet I could even perform the Legendary Great Maneuver better than she did." Fool smiled in amusement. Perhaps she could some day. He floated to the ground and grew to human size again.

Sora suddenly ran into the room with Mia following right behind her, carrying three copies of the script for their new show. Sora jumped up onstage with Fool and Karai, and Mia did the same.

"Alright," Mia said, opening one of the scripts. "Our new performance is Snow White." She turned to Sora. "I want you to play the part of Snow White, and…." She looked at Fool. "I know it's your first performance, but you're playing the prince."

"WHAT?!," Sora screamed. " HE'S THE PRINCE?!"

" Yes," Mia answered. " Kalos suggested it. We were going to cast Leon, but he's going to be out of town for a while."

Sora looked up at Fool and shuddered. " But….doesn't the prince have to um….kiss….Snow White?"

Mia smiled and nodded. " Yeah. I thought that Fool would be perfect for this part, seeing how well you two performed together in that one performance."

" But that was just a…."

" I'LL DO IT!," Fool cut in, turning to smile at Sora.

" You….," Sora cringed, trying not to let Mia see how ticked she was over this. When she got back to her room, she planned to take it out on Fool by hitting him over the head several times with a dictionary.

" Let me be part of the production!," Karai said suddenly. Fool had forgotten that she was there. Sora and Mia hadn't even noticed the girl.

" I can't do that.," Mia said. " We already have the cast set. After I get Sora and Fool set up here I have to go to the practice room to issue everyone else their parts."

" I can do it," Karai said. " I'll show you I can!"

" Hold on," Sora said. " Karai, you'd probably have to show the boss what you can do. Mia can't change the script without consulting him anyway."

" That's just an excuse! Evidently you people just don't know talent when you see it!"

" You haven't even done anything!," Mia pointed out.

" Here's something," Karai said. She jumped up into the air, and flipped over the heads of Fool, Mia, and Sora, then landed on the other side of the stage with ease. Then she ran forward, jumped up again, flipped upside-down and came straight down towards the stage. " Fool, grab my hand and then toss me back up!" Without questioning her, Fool did so. When Karai came toward him she had her left hand reaching out. He grabbed her by it in an instant and flung her up toward the ceiling.

She then turned upright, and struck a graceful pose as she lifted into the air. " If I did this on the trapeze we could call it the Angel's Maneuver, now couldn't we Sora?," Karai asked, a hint of competitiveness in her voice. She came back down slowly, but then gained speed as she neared the floor. Sora stepped under her and caught her before she hit the ground.

" See!," Karai said. " I have talent! You have to let me in the show!"

" I'm sorry Karai," Mia said. " I can't do that right now. Maybe next time."

" Fine then," Karai said dejectedly. She hopped off the stage, and walked towards the exit. Before she got there though, she turned back to everyone else. They were watching her go. Seeing this, she pulled a deck of cards out of her pocket and shuffled it. Then she drew the first card. She held it up for all of them to see. " Upside-down Wheel of Fortune. Looks like one of you has some hard work ahead. Good luck." With that she turned and left.

" Tarot cards…," Sora said, somewhat surprised that the girl was interested in those things. The only one she'd ever seen really use them was Fool. She looked up at him. His attention was on the door that Karai had just exited. Perhaps seeing Karai do that surprised him as well.

" Anyway," Mia said in an attempt to get their attention back on her. " Take these and read over them." She handed them the scripts. " Oh, and Kalos said to tell you this. You are not to begin practicing for the role you were given until tomorrow. For now he wants you and Fool to get used to working together. Practice on the trapeze for today. Jumps, catches, and the Angel's Maneuver."

" Why that one?," Sora asked.

Mia shrugged. " How should I know? I don't know how the boss thinks. Anyways, I gotta get to the practice room now. More roles to give out! See you!" With that she jumped off stage and ran out the door. The very moment Mia exited the room May Wong ran in. She looked furious.

" DO I HAVE TO PLAY THE EVIL WITCH IN EVERY SHOW WE DO?!!," She screamed at the ceiling. Then she ran up to Sora and Fool. " Sora, I DEMAND that you give up your role as the princess so I can play the part."

" Why?," Sora asked.

" I don't want to keep playing antagonist!"

" But you're so good at it," Fool said.

" GRAAAW!," May yelled, jumping up and knocking him over the head. " Did I ASK for your input? No, I DID NOT! I'm talking to SORA!"

" Well," Sora said. " Um…I'm sorry May, but…"

" BUT WHAT?!"

" Mia can't change the cast right now. Maybe next time." She felt kind of bad for May at the moment. May played all of her parts well, but she was usually cast as the antagonist in whatever play they did. " Besides, would you really want him to kiss you?"

May looked up at Fool and gasped in shock. " He's the prince? Is he going to go onstage like that?!" Sora nodded. Then May crossed her arms and walked toward the exit. " Fine then. I'll wait till next time." If it had been any other guy, May would have no problem doing the kiss scene with him. But Fool? She thought he was just plain weird. There was no way she'd be seen onstage if he was to be her partner.

" Sora," Fool said as soon as May was gone.

" Yes?," Sora asked, taking a step back from him. " I'm WARNING you Fool. You TRY and kiss me and YOU WILL REGRET IT!"

" That's not what I need to talk to you about Sora. Something is wrong."

" What?," Sora asked, noting how serious he was.

" The stage," Fool answered. " I felt something odd about it earlier. I decided to read my own fortune. I drew the Upside-down Wheel of Fortune."

" That's a problem?," Sora asked.

" It foretells a bringer of bad luck," Fool said. " It means that something bad may happen soon. We have to be careful."

" Alright," Sora said. This worried her. Under normal circumstances, Fool would read her a fortune and then tell her what it meant. When he did so, he was never this worried. She'd never seen him so worried that he'd put his fortune telling before kissing a girl. Not that she had ever seen him kiss a girl before. Any girl who could see him probably swatted him away like a fly, as she had done many times herself.

Though the present situation was rather concerning, she decided that it was time to start practice. If she wanted this show to turn out alright, she'd have to get used to the way Fool performed. " We can watch for anything suspicious!," She said. " Now we have to start practicing."

Well, there's chapter 1. I hope you like the story so far. If you have any comments or questions on it, please feel free to send them to me.